Newly Revised

Ani and Daryl spent the night in their cell, not doing anything in particular other than lie together on the bed. They didn't speak to anyone aside from telling Merle, Carol, Sophia, and Carl that they were okay when they respectively came to check on the pair. The next day, they left the prison just as the sky was beginning to change colors, not wanting to be around the others. Neither paid much attention to the other as they moved through the woods looking for a trail they could possibly find something fresh to take back to the prison. Daryl whistled to her when he caught one, Ani walking towards him silently before crouching down beside him. They followed the trail quite a ways into the woods, neither talking to the other or making any sound whatsoever. It took nearly an hour for them to find what lay at the trail's end; in a small clearing next to a giant oak tree, a doe was lying on her side, obviously breathing hard. Daryl pulled Ani to a crouching position as he watched her face, contorted in confusion, before he whispered to her to just watch. Ani turned her face back to the deer, wondering why Daryl hadn't taken the shot or even made a move to when she noticed something coming out of it.

"Is it givin' birth?!" she whispered excitedly as the deer continued to breath heavily, it's stomach contracting sharply as it pushed the fawn out.

"Yup."

Ani watched in awe as more and more of the fawn came into view until the doe stood up, causing Ani to gasp as the fawn all but feel out of her. Daryl assured her it was natural as the doe laid back down next to her fawn, licking it as her breathing picked back up. A little while later, the doe was standing with two fawns cleaned and suckling away while she grazed on the foliage around her. Ani had never seen anything like it and couldn't help but think that life was continuing around them even though they lost things along the way. She couldn't dwell on the people who died or feel sorry for herself when there was nothing she could do to stop the cycle of life and death from happening. All she could do was try her hardest to keep those around her safe for as long as she could and accept the inevitable when it occurred. It didn't change the fact that she was getting cold and was starting to think of things in black and white while forgetting the shades of gray. Life and death might be a cycle, but becoming immune to the emotions that came with it was no where near healthy as Daryl slowly moved them away from the deer so they didn't startle the little family. When they got a safe distance away, he let go of her arm only for her to catch his hand and make him look at her.

"I love ya, D. Ya know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I love you too."

"Ya okay?"

"No, but that don't matter much, does it?"

"Does ta me."

"Yeah, I know. You're not doin' much better, though."

"Doin' betta than ya think. Nothin' I could a done diffarent. I see that now. 'Sides, I'd ratha take the shot than let 'im suffa through death by bein' eaten alive. Told ya, mercy isn' somethin' that bothas me. Him dyin'...Is it bad that I've gotten used ta the death? That I jus' don' care 'bout it no more? Like, I do. I'd die if it was ya or Merle or ma or the kids or any a the people from our group, the original group from Atlanta. The othas? Jus' faces ta forget once they're gone. I'm goin' ta hell for thinkin' that, but it's true."

"Ain't goin' to hell. Ain't that just how your brain works? Out of sight, out of mind for the people you don't care about?" Daryl commented. "Nothin' wrong with that. Keeps you from feelin' like you're the one that caused the loss. I'm fine with that."

"D," Ani said, grabbing a hold of his bicep, just a touch of concern in her voice. "I get that I can' help what happens. I get I shouldn' feel responsible for any a it. But I'm startin' ta scare myself. I'm scared I'm goin' ta become too used ta this world. Too used ta the loss. I'm scared a closin' off completely, losin' myself, my emotions as far as othas are concerned, my ability ta feel the loss like a person should. Hell, I didn'...I don'...Gods I don' even know how ta say it. I don' want ta lose who I am jus' 'cause my brain shuts off little pieces a itself ta cope."

"You won't," he assured her.

"Afta what happened with Zack, my first thought was that we had somethin' ta show for 'is loss. Like the supplies we gained were somehow worth the life we lost. If that ain' closin' off, what is?"

Daryl pulled Ani into a hug, holding her as she sighed into his embrace and returned it just as hard, both thinking about how the state of the world had changed them. He could understand her fear in a sense because he'd already seen her closing off to others the more they lost people. Even then, if Merle had come back without having changed for the better, Daryl wanted to think he would keep who he was now, too. That fear of reverting to who he was, though, was a real thing and he never wanted to feel useless or pathetic again. He ran his fingers through the bottom of her hair before tilting her head up, kissing her softly before reassuring her once again.

"You ain't gonna lose yourself. Won't let you."

They made their way back to the prison with a decent string of squirrels, processing them as soon as they got back before handing them to Margaret, one of the ladies who handled the grill. Ani wanted to steal Daryl away and just curl up in bed, but Merle called for her attention. Giving Daryl a kiss on the cheek, she went out into the field where he was waiting for her and started up a conversation. They walked down into the field talking about how they could get the fences under control before Merle stopped her and told her to look. What she saw made her smile as she slapped his stomach and continued forward, her gaze softened by the two kids practicing in the field.

"No, your feet have to be like this," Sophia said, kicking Carl's legs out like Merle had her. "Yeah, now you gotta point your toe forward and steady the back foot."

He had her bow in his arms while she was teaching him the proper stance and hold, "Like this?"

"I think so," she said as she looked him over.

"Need to raise your arms a little more, son, and bring that elbow up," Merle called out, startling the kids and making Carl drop the bow. "Now, that there's a foul. Pick it up, boy."

Ani chuckled as Carl picked up the bow and resumed his stance, Merle going over and correcting his stance and form. Sophia walked up to her and stood next to her, Ani placing an arm on the girl's shoulders. The girl put her arm around Ani's waist while they watched Carl go in and out of the proper hold on Merle's orders. She had to admit, she was impressed by the kids' tenacity and ability, along with their willingness, to learn everything they could to survive.

"So, who started this?"

"Carl asked if I could show him, but I'm not very good at it," Sophia admitted.

"Well, it's good 'e wants ta learn," Ani told her. "And ya did a mighty fine job a tryin' ta teach 'im. Merle's only made some adjustments and 'e's holdin' the bow jus' fine. Ya did good work. Jus' got ta get anotha bow, now."

"So you're not mad?"

"Now, why would I be mad at ya kids teachin' each otha how ta savive?" Ani asked. "Don' ya eva feel guilty for learnin' how ta savive or showin' othas how ta. Jus' don' be stupid 'bout it, eitha. Same rules apply for 'im as they do for ya."

"I figured, so I told him the rules first. Basically said 'no duh' afterwards," Sophia said, sounding a little disheartened. "Kinda felt like an idiot for tellin' him."

"Hey now, neva feel like an idiot for takin' precautions. Betta safe than sorry, every time, nah exceptions."

"So, if I told you Lizzie is naming the walkers?"

"Say what now?" Ani asked the girl, thoroughly confused by the admission and not sure if she had heard her right.

"Lizzie had some of the younger kids, like Mika and Luke, out in the field callin' the walkers names and wavin' at them and stuff."

"Does that worry ya?" When Sophia just nodded her head, Ani asked, "Why?"

"She said one of the walkers had a name tag, so she had the other kids naming the ones lined up at the fence."

"Did anythin' else happen?"

"Well, Carl and I tried tellin' her they were dead, and she said they weren't. She says they're just different, whatever that means," Sophia told her honestly. "I'm worried about her makin' the other kids think like that, that she's gonna make it seem like the walkers aren't dangerous. I don't want anyone to get hurt because she's confused."

"I'll talk ta her. Thanks for tellin' me. That's important, and it's betta ta get ahead a this 'fore somethin' bad happens," Ani said before she ruffled the girl's hair and headed back up towards the courtyard, stopping to see Rick along the way seemingly looking for someone. "If ya lookin' for Carl, he's out in the field with Merle and Phia. Searched 'em out ta learn the bow."

"He's not gonna need that," Rick said.

"Rick, ya know I love ya like a brotha, so I'm goin' ta lay somethin' out on the line here, right 'ere, right now. Ya can' keep 'im from weapons more'n knives foreva. He hasn' forgotten what 'e learned ova the winta. He's the same boy-turnin'-man as eva. Let 'im learn how ta defend 'imself when we're out a bullets and arrows are all we got left. I know ya want ta be a farma, but ya can' make 'im jus' be a farma too. The boy needs more'n that. Elsewise 'e's gonna get as reckless and restless as Phia did 'fore I had Merle teach 'er the bow. I ain' sayin' we got ta send 'im out, though it might not hurt. Goin' ta need the meat soon 'nough."

Rick took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, "Yeah, maybe. I don't like it. But maybe."

Ani put her hand on Rick's shoulder, "Ya couldn' stop me from teachin' 'im back at the farm, ya can' stop Merle from teachin' 'im now. It's betta for 'im. Ain' 'bout what ya want anymore, it's 'bout what'll keep 'im alive."

"You're right," Rick said nodding his head. "You're right. It's a good thing. Thank you."

"Not a problem," Ani told him. "Do ya know where Lizzie went?"

"No, I don't. Why are you lookin' for her?"

"Jus' wanted ta talk ta her," Ani said before clearing her throat. "Daryl inside?"

"Yeah, in your cell, waiting for you, I think."

"Prolly. I did mention the want ta take a nap earlia."

She left Rick to go tend to the pigs as she headed towards the commons thinking about everything from what was happening with Lizzie to how she was going to curb Rick's overprotective side. Ani barely got in the door before she was grabbed by semi-rough hands and hauled off her feet. She forced herself to relax, having memorized his grip from the first time he'd done this. Daryl, at her request, had begun to randomly grab her like this after she'd put him in a wrist bar the first time. At first, he'd called to her right before he grabbed her; this was only the second time he'd grabbed her without warning. Merle had tried it only once but when Ani knocked him down and then proceeded to apologize for an hour and a half, he'd told her he was never doing it again. Sasha was able to grab a hold of her wrist now, and Tyreese would generally tap her shoulder after sneaking up on her, but they were the only ones. To be fair, Tyreese was a giant of a man who used to play football and she knew there was little chance of beating him. She hated every time anyone came up on her like that, but there really was a necessity there of learning to control her actions and reactions when startled.

"I still hate it when ya do this."

"Wouldn't if you didn't ask me too," he gruffed in her ear.

"I know, but that don' mean I got ta like it," she complained as he let go of her.

"Well, you asked for it, so stop bitchin'."

"Yes, sir," she said cheekily.

"Shut it."

He led her through the commons and into the cell block straight up to their cell, getting comfortable with Daryl laying on his back with a book while Ani curled into his side. It didn't take her long to fall asleep, snuggling closer to Daryl for a couple hours before he replaced himself with his pillow. He headed into the commons and grabbed a bottle of water and took it back up to the cell, leaving it on a chair. He bent over and gave Ani a kiss on the forehead and then left the cell block completely and lit his last cigarette before sitting on the bleachers looking out at the field. At the moment, he wished he had his Ani's brain so he could think about anything other than what they'd lost. Losing Zack was hitting him pretty damn hard and the loss of the Big Spot and all those supplies just made it that much harder to take. He tried pushing it down, but Ani picked up on it anyway, though she hadn't pressed it and instead changed the topic. A part of him loved that about her; she wasn't always able to put aside her own issues and simply skipped over the problem, which allowed him a pass at his. He didn't want to tell her how he was feeling when she'd asked, so he'd changed the topic. It had worked considering that she had actually opened up instead of hiding what she was feeling away. He couldn't help the rueful scoff he gave when he thought about that; it wasn't like he didn't hide it away either. Daryl's eyes were transfixed on the fences that he only realized he wasn't alone when he heard a click followed by the whining of a Polaroid camera.

Snapping his eyes to the direction the sound came from, he caught Ania with the device in her hand, picture already being shaken in the other one to quicken development, "Sorry, when I saw one in Glenn's cart, I asked 'im ta grab me one too. Came out nice."

"Huh-uh," he said dismissively as she walked up.

"What? Ya can use it, too. Not like I jus' got it for me."

"What good are pictures?" he asked, pulling her up to the bleachers beside him, wrapping his arm around her and bringing her into his side. "Got you right here."

"Keepsakes, love. The world might a gone ta hell, but even the cavemen had drawin's. I won' take any more a ya if ya don' want, but please, D, let me have this one," she begged.

"S'fine. Just don't like my picture bein' taken s'all," he told her.

"Well, I think ya could be a damn model," Ani said while looking at the picture; it really did capture his essence quite nicely. "Whachya doin' out 'ere anyway?"

"Thinkin'."

"'Bout what."

"About you."

"That's corny," she replied with a teasing smile.

"About what you said earlier," he corrected with a sigh.

"Ah," she said, sobered. "What about it?"

"Just that it's the first time you told me 'stead of bottlin' it up."

"Yeah, I guess. Jus' didn' want ya thinkin' I'm havin' a hard time with what I've done. I'm not. Jus', don' like how comfortable I'm gettin' with it s'all."

"Think it's a good thing. In this world, a girl like you. Be better to shoot first, ask questions later and not think about it," he told her honestly.

"Maybe. Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him back towards the dining area of the courtyard. "Let's get some grub."

They ate their dinner before Ani went on her rounds to check in on the Council members and deal with any other business that needed seeing to. Glenn was wanting to go on another scouting trip to see what they could find now that the other place was bust. Carol reminded her how they needed more people on the fence to deal with the walkers and Hershel suggested some medicines to be on the look out for. She smiled when she saw Tyreese and Karen in the library, giving them a small wave before picking out a new book and heading back to the cell block. Checking in on Beth, Carl, Sophia, and Judith, she told the kids they needed to read more than just comic books. Of course, that didn't stop her from grabbing a couple from the stack herself before she headed up to her cell. Daryl was in Merle's cell, talking to him about the bike, waving at them as she went to her own cell and set the books on the bed. She laid back and picked up the book after taking her boots off, having brought the comics in for Daryl. When he came in a while later, she was so caught up in her book that she barely acknowledged his presence until he sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She read out loud for a little while before yawning, Daryl taking the book from her hand and shutting off the light. They got comfortable and fell into a deep sleep while listening to the evening routines of their family and friends.

Daryl was just waking up the next morning when Ani kissed his cheek and told him she was heading to D block and she'd be back. She walked past Rick and Beth, who was taking Judith from the man so he could go out to the courtyard. Giving both girls a once over before leaning in and kissing Judith on the forehead, Ani grabbed a cup of water and drank it before leaving the block. She made her way through the prison with the intention of finding Lizzie first thing this morning before the little girl had a chance to slip away. If what Sophia had said was true, she needed to make an assessment of the girl to see if it was just a phase, a coping mechanism, or if there was a darker reason. It was most likely the second of the options as she'd watched her mother turn, but that didn't mean it was healthy. Ani figured the girl just needed help processing everything and that she'd realize the dead were dead. There was nothing she could do unless she could get the girl to open up to her first and she wasn't entirely sure how she was going to handle that. People were just starting to get up and moving when she walked into C block, quickly grabbing Mika and kicking a walker away.

"Run! Get Rick and the othas!" she told her and Lizzie, pushing them behind her as chaos broke out around her.

~x~

"I'll be back in a bit," Ani said as he cracked an eye to look at her. "Headin' ta D block. Still need ta talk ta Lizzie. Love ya."

She kissed his cheek as he turned onto his back and watched her walk out, having barely started coming around. Daryl sighed as he rubbed a hand down his face before he sat up and swung his legs off the bed, reaching down to grab his boots. He pulled them on before standing up and stretching, trying to fully wake up since he was supposed to take watch in a little bit. Grabbing his vest and throwing it on, he picked up his crossbow and left to go into the commons with Merle. They were trying to figure out if there was a better way to deal with the walkers than just having the fence cleaners out there. The number of walkers was still increasing and the more they moved around outside, the more were drawn in. On top of that, the more walkers they had around them, the more noise the damn things made. If they couldn't get on top of it as soon as possible, they might have to deal with the real possibility of losing the prison to the walkers. A gunshot echoed through the prison, causing him and Sasha both to run out of C block to figure out what was happening, Merle double checking the tombs. Screams and gunfire continued from inside the prison as Rick caught up to the two of them, Glenn just a little ways ahead.

"Walkers in D!" Glenn shouted.

"What about C?!" Rick asked.

"Clear. We locked the gates to the tombs; Merle's still down there," Sasha informed him. "Hershel's on guard."

"It ain't a breach," Daryl told them as he ran towards the block, remembering that Ani had told him that's where she was heading.

"We followed the plan!" Sasha insisted.

They all started running as fast as they could to get into the cell block only to walk into a living nightmare. Ani was trying to get people to safety at the same time as she was killing walkers, focusing as much as she could on the kids and their parents. Everyone who wasn't bit she was trying to get into the cells, behind closed doors as the four of them stepped in to help her. Those who were bit, she wasn't letting them suffer, nor would she, if they couldn't be saved. Daryl picked up one of the kids and took him to a cell where Karen was trying her hardest to corral the children. There were three already in there and Ani had taken post close to the cell to keep the walkers away and still help the others. If there hadn't have been so much chaos surrounding the walker attack, she probably would have been able to deal with it on her own. It didn't take long for them to deal with the walkers, all of which were from the cell block itself, which didn't make any sense. Ani's face was devoid of all emotion when Daryl walked by her, her eyes cold as they started making sure all the walkers were taken care of.

"It'll be alright, Ania," he gruffed, squeezing her shoulder before moving on.

Ani followed Daryl upstairs, where Glenn and Rick were checking the cells. She wasn't feeling too happy about having killed three walkers with faces of people she'd talked to yesterday. It was even worse when she'd also given a merciful end to five others. A part of her knew she should feel bad, but the larger part of her thought that this was what the world was now. She either had to kill to survive, kill in mercy, or kill to keep those she cared about safe. There was no diplomatic solution with the dead just as there was no saving everyone they came across because some people were never going to be worth saving. There would never be enough preparations, enough resources, or enough training that would ensure the lives of everyone they saved. That was just the harsh reality she'd been deluding herself into thinking they could avoid.

"Down!" Daryl called, hearing Glenn startle behind her.

Ani and Glenn moved at the same time to duck right before an arrow sliced through the head of the walker about to take a bite out of the man. Rick came up the stairs after double checking the downstairs was clear, leading Ani and Daryl over to the cell the walker had come out of. She stood behind Rick as he opened the curtain and looked in, the sight making her curse and turn around. Aside from Carl, Sophia, and Judith, the boy had been with their group the longest out of any of the kids still alive in the camp. He'd been soft and there was nothing she'd been able to do about that; he hadn't even been willing to take up knife training.

"Oh, it's Patrick," Daryl said, realizing who the walker he'd shot was before looking around. "That's all of 'em."

The group walked around, ensuring a final end to their fallen comrades, working in silence as people mourned for their loved ones. Eventually the random sounds of the crying got to Ani, causing her to punch the wall beside her, bruising her knuckles in the process. Glenn had been the closest to her and called out when she'd done it only to be glared at and told to shut up. There was no reason to bring to light she'd hurt her hand when there were a lot of people hurting in worse ways at the moment. Besides that, the pain in her hand made her brain focus on it more than the sounds of those around her. That was something she desperately needed at the moment as she followed Daryl, Hershel, and Dr. S over to where Rick was kneeling next to a walker. Ani stood behind the others as she saw Charlie with bloody tracks down his face from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He'd been locked in his cell while several of the others had been in open cells, which was what allowed the walkers to multiply and attack to begin with. She noticed at the same time as Rick started talking that there was no way the man would have been bit, which meant that he died and turned on his own, and it didn't look to be suicide.

"No bites. No wounds," he told them as they walked in. "I think he just died."

"Horribly, too," Dr S replied. "Pleurisy aspiration."

"Choked to death on his own blood," Hershel said, clearing up what the doctor had meant. "Caused those trails down his face."

"I've seen it before," Rick informed them, "on a walker outside the fences."

"I saw 'em on Patrick, too," Daryl agreed.

"They're from the internal lung pressure buildin' up, like if you shake a soda and pop the top," Dr. S explained. "Only imagine your eyes, ears, nose and throat are the top."

"It's a sickness? From the walkers?" Bob asked, having some medical knowledge himself.

"No, these things happened before they were around," Dr. S denied. "Could be pneumococcal. Most likely an aggressive flu strain."

"Someone locked him in just in time," Hershel commented about the walker Rick had killed.

"No, man. Charlie used to sleep walk. Locked himself in," Daryl informed him. "Hell, he was just eating barbecue yesterday. How could somebody die in a day just from a cold?"

"I had a sick pig," Rick told him. "Died quick. Saw a sick boar in the woods."

"Don' explain how someone died ova night when they were jus' fine yestaday. Can the flu really kill that fast?" Ani asked, just as confused as Daryl was.

"Depends on the strain," Hershel told her. "Pigs and birds. That's how these things spread in the past. We need to do something about those hogs."

"Maybe we got lucky. Maybe these two cases are it," Dr. S suggested.

"Patrick, Charlie, they both had these marks and they were both around plenty a othas yestaday."

"She's right," Bob said. "Haven't seen anybody get lucky in a long time. Bugs like to run through close quarters. It doesn't get any closer than this."

"All of us in here, we've all been exposed," Hershel said causing everyone to shift uncomfortably.

"We got ta start distributin' the tonics I made. This shite's goin' ta spread fast and we don' got anythin' otha than that ta treat it right now. Do ya think it'll be 'nough ta keep it from gettin' this bad again?"

"I don't know. I haven't used anything like your tonics before," Dr. S said, taking notice of Ani's hand. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothin'," she said as Daryl turned her around and grabbed her hand, not even having noticed she'd broken the skin on one of her knuckles. "Punched the wall."

"Why'd you do that?" he asked.

"It's too much," she said quietly, looking down in shame.

Daryl didn't do much other than pull her into a hug, sharing a look with Rick as the man putting a comforting hand on Ani's back before leaving the cell. Together with Dr. S, Daryl took Ani to the infirmary to get her hand dealt with. While there, she insisted that they each took a dose of her tonic, the three of them grimacing at the bitter and astringent taste of the stuff. She'd been taking it for a little while thanks to an overprotective husband who thought sniffles from allergies was a sign of a cold. Even after Ani had reminded Daryl of the summer in the quarry and the fall at the farm, he told her it was better to be safe than sorry. She couldn't argue with that logic and it gave her an excuse to taste test the concoction to make sure she had the recipe right.

"Thought you said you found honey," Daryl complained as he put the lid back on the jar.

"Don' mean it takes the nasty out," Ani defended herself. "The honey ain' for flava, it's for the benefits it gives the tonic. Trust me, there's no way ta make it tasty in this day and age. Jus' goin' ta have ta force it down."

They left the infirmary after Ani gave Dr. S specific instructions on how much to give each person and to get to it. As they walked to the library where they held their council meetings, Ani handed a jar over to Hershel and told him to make sure the kids get it when they were done. She wasn't taking any chances with anyone; everyone was going to get a dose and a small jar and keep it. They'd just lost enough people from this damn disease and getting ahead of the symptoms could be the difference between life and death. After everyone else took the tonic she'd brought with her, she finally let them sit down and start discussing the matter.

"Patrick was fine yesterday, and he died overnight," Carol reiterated, trying to wrap her head around it. "Two people died that quick? We'll have to separate everyone that's been exposed."

"That's everyone in that cell block," Daryl said as Ani paled. "That's all of us. Maybe more."

"There's no way ta separate," Ani told them, her realization horrifying. "Ya had Patrick servin' food yestaday. Everyone 'e served, everyone that was in the courtyard and that they came in contact with. We've all been around each otha and Patrick and Charlie. We've all been exposed. The best thing ta do now is take my tonic and wait ta see how bad it gets 'fore it gets betta."

"We know that this sickness can be lethal," Hershel said. "We don't know how easily it spreads. Is anyone else showing symptoms that we know of?"

"We can't just wait and see. There's children," Carol argued. "It isn't just the illness. People die and they become a threat."

"That's dangarous thinkin', Cars. People might not die and we can easily contain the threat by makin' sure the sick stay in a locked cell," Ani said.

"We need a place for them to go," Hershel said, changing the topic. "They can't stay in D. We can't risk going in there to clean it up."

"We can use cell block A," Carol suggested.

"Death row?" Glenn asked. "I'm not sure that's much of an upgrade."

"Well it's clean," Daryl argued as Ani cleared her throat. "That's an upgrade. Think that'll work for Dr. S?"

"I'll help Caleb get it set up," Hershel told him while looking at Ani, who just stared back at him stone-faced.

The sound of a woman coughing drew all their attention, making Ani, Carol, and Daryl slowly stand up and head to the door. Tyreese and Karen were passing by, Karen coughing quite a bit, claiming she was fine and just needed some rest. With the way Karen was coughing, she definitely had something starting to settle in her chest. It wasn't just a 'clear-your-throat' kind of tickle Ani had been dealing with lately; it was a deep-seated, 'trying-to-cough-up-a-lung' kind of cough. They were heading towards C block, too, which was a no-go if the woman was coughing like that. Sophia, Carl, and Judith were in C block and, although they had all more than likely already been exposed, she didn't want any more exposure for the kids. It was absolutely important that anyone who was starting to show signs of illness be separated from the others as soon as the symptoms started. As it was, the whole thing was starting to scare her considering the 'tickle' had been acting up a lot more since this morning. She couldn't help but wonder if what had been allergies was actually something else, but she pushed it down. The simple truth was that she'd been dealing with sniffles and tickles and watery eyes for the last two weeks; there was no way it was related to the illness and therefore what was happening now was not her fault. At least, that was what Ani told herself as she gave Karen a sympathetic look while stopping them.

"Ya don' really sound fine," she said.

"I'm just taking her back to my cell so she can rest," Tyreese told her with a small smile.

"Tyreese," Hershel called. "I don't think that is such a good idea."

"Why? What's going on now?" Karen asked.

"We think it's some kind of flu or something. It's how Patrick died," Glenn informed her.

"Judith is in that cell block," Hershel told them. "She's vulnerable. Anyone that may be sick or even exposed should stay away."

"It killed Patrick?" Karen asked, unable to believe it.

"She's gonna be okay," Tyreese told them. "Now that we know what Patrick died from we can treat it, right?"

"Ya should take this," Ani said, handing the woman the jar of tonic she'd had for the Council.

"Don't panic," Hershel told them. "We're going to figure this out. But we should keep you separated in the meantime. We'll have Caleb take a look at you. Take Ani's tonic. I'll see what we have in the way of medications."

"My tonic's not perfect, but it'll help with the symptoms at the very least. Give ya a betta chance at fightin' it off," Ani told her.

"David, from the Decatur group, he's been coughing too. And you Ani," Karen said.

"Yeah, but my coughin' and clearin' my throat is from post-nasal drip due ta allagies," Ani told her. "Ya can ask Dr. S if ya don' believe me. Was dragged there last week by someone I won't name," she coughed, clearly saying Daryl's name, "'cause they were worried 'bout me bein' sick."

"Shut it," he told her, nudging her with his elbow.

"I'll get David," Glenn offered. "There's some empty, clean cells in the tombs, right?"

"Yeah, we'll meet you there," Sasha told them, eyeing Ani. "Come on, let's get you settled."

"We'll have to call another meeting later," Hershel told them.

"Alright," Daryl said. "I'll get to buryin' the dead ones."

"Wear gloves and a mask," Ani told him, Hershel quickly agreeing. "Don' want ya riskin' any more'n ya have ta. I'm goin' ta go and make sure David and Karen have a supply a tonic in their rooms and know how ta take it. I'll come out and help once I'm done."

"Be safe," he told her.

"You too."

They both started walking off in opposite directions before noticing Carol wasn't moving and they both turned back around to talk to her. Ani was concerned about Carol as she'd been spending less and less time with Sophia as the girl spent more and more time with Merle and Carl. Instead, Carol had taken to Mika and Lizzie and had apparently promised their dad she would look after them as if they were her own. But she was right back to not looking after her own now that somebody else was doing the majority of it for her. Ani knew there was something deeper going on, but she wasn't sure what it was considering the woman never really opened up to her. She knew Sophia hadn't told her everything about her life before, and Ani couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with that. Sophia often looked to others to rely on instead of her mother and her mother looked to other little girls to protect. She sighed and pushed the thoughts to the side as Daryl spoke up, deciding that some fights just weren't worth bringing up at the moment.

"You alright?"

"I'm worried about Lizzie and Mika," she said. "They were around Patrick."

"We all were, even Phia and Carl," Ani said. "Shite, I got ta tell Phia. She and Patrick, they were gettin' close."

"Karen and David are gonna be separated 'til they feel better," Daryl assured her.

"You're right," Carol said a little too quickly. "Are you okay?"

Daryl made an exaggerated movement of his head while chewing his bottom lip before he said, "Mm-hmm. Gotta be."

"What about you, Ani? Are you sure you're alright?"

"It's jus' allagies. 'Sides, like Daryl said, got ta be."

They both walked away, Ani making her way down into the tombs after stopping at the infirmary for more tonic. She was thankful she'd had the foresight to go back to that cabin several times with Daryl and then began hoarding all the high quality gin and vodka she could find. It all went into making various kinds of tonics, which she hoped would work in their favor. She watched as Glenn brought David down along with blankets and pillows to try to make it a bit more comfortable. Ani gave Karen a small jar of the tonic and told her she could take a sip of it every so often, when the cough became bad, but only a sip. It might be medicine, but it was still made with strong liquor and too much would have the opposite effect if someone got drunk on it. The entire time she was talking to Karen and David, Sasha and Glenn were watching her like hawks, counting every time she cleared her throat or sniffled Ani was sure.

"Are you sure it's nothing?" Sasha asked her when they left the cells.

"Sure as shite stinks," Ani responded. "I can hock a loogie right now if ya like ta prove it just from clearin' me throat, if ya like."

"Please don't," Sasha told her, looking a bit disgusted before both women chuckled and the three made their way out of the tombs.

"Been like this for a week, Sash," Ani told the woman honestly. "Ain' nah damn illness. Jus' stupid fuckin' allagies."

~x~

Daryl had gloves on and a black bandanna wrapped around his mouth and nose as he worked on digging the graves, Merle right beside him in similar coverings. They worked in silence, the overall gravity of the situation weighing each man down in different ways as Sophia stood in the distance practicing her bow. He had to admit, the girl was tenacious about keeping up with practicing even with everything that was going on around her. She almost always hit the bullseye when she was practicing in the yard and Merle had said she was doing a lot better at hunting as well. Ani had mentioned how if it were in the before times, the girl might have a chance at Olympic medals with how good she'd gotten. He had the better part of one grave dug before he noticed Rick walking up to him, looking about as horrible as they all were feeling.

"Glad you were in there," Daryl told him.

"Wasn't much use without my gun," Rick countered as he looked at the bodies lined for burying.

"Naw, you were," Daryl insisted. "All this time you've been taking off? You earned it. We wouldn't be hear without you and Ania."

"No, it was all of us, but mostly Ani," Rick denied.

"Naw, it was you first. Ania took over later," Daryl told him. "You gonna help us figure this out?"

"I screwed up too many times," Rick told him. "Kicked Tyreese and Sasha out, brought Chrystal back, almost got Ani killed. Those calls you gotta make, I start down that road...I almost lost myself, who I am. Whatever else this place needs, I'm here for it."

"Like I said, you earned it," Daryl reiterated. "But for what it's worth, you see mistakes. I see when shit hits, you're standing there with a shovel. Ania can't do it alone this time. It hit her hard. She won't say anything, but her eyes, they were dead in that block. She can't take much more makin' the calls either."

"She'll be fine, boy, don't you worry none," Merle told his brother, seeing Ani coming out of the commons.

"Rick! Merle! Daryl!" Maggie called to them, pointing to the fence.

"Oh shit," Rick said before he took off running.

Ani was running as she saw a horde of the dead were pressing themselves against the fence so bad that there was no stopping them from bending the fence inward. They all reached the dog run around the same time, rushing to grab different weapons. They were all trying to kill walkers through the fence in an attempt to get everything under control but the sheer number of walkers made it impossible to stem the assault. Most of the remaining people had been quarantined, either in their own cell blocks or one of the others now that D was compromised. With everything that was happening, they'd relaxed their fence duties and now they were paying the price for it.

"The noise drew 'em out and now this part is starting to give!" Maggie yelled at them as they all struggled in vain.

"There's too many!" Ani said. "We'll neva take care a it like this!"

It didn't matter because they had to try as she, Merle, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, Sasha, and Tyreese did their best to curb the flow of the walkers, but nothing they did helped. If anything, their appearance along the fence just aggravated the walkers further, making them push themselves even harder into the barrier. Maggie fell down, causing both Glenn and Ani to fret over her, but the woman maintained that they needed to keep their distance. Ani kept moving, coming to stand next to Tyreese as Sasha quit working the fence, moving to look at something on the ground.

"Are you seeing this?" she asked Ani, pointing towards a bunch of half eaten rats on the ground.

"The fuck is that?" Ani asked in disgust.

"Is someone feeding these thing?" was Sasha's reply, just as disgusted as Ani was.

"Sure looks like it," Ani answered as the others came to look at what they were.

The momentary lapse in concentration cost them as the fence began to bend inward, Daryl shouting, "Head's up!" to get the group's attention.

"This part of the fence, now!" Maggie said as they all congregated where the walkers were forcing the fence down.

They struggled to get the thing up before backing off for a second as the walkers began piling on top of each other and forced the fence even further inward. One look was all it took for them all to start struggling to get the fence upright, Daryl and Glenn both yelling about the fence giving way. When one of the walkers literally was being pushed through the fence, Ani damn near puked. Daryl pulled her back at the same time as he realized the fence was going to be lost at this point. There was no way for them to be able to get it standing back up before the walkers started climbing over top. It was already getting risky to keep pushing on the fence as the dead pressed harder against each other and their mouths snapped a little too close to their hands.

"Alright, everybody back! Everybody get back now!" he yelled at them.

"The fence keeps bending in like that, those walkers are coming over it!" Sasha said worriedly.

Daryl could hear Ani's slight wheeze as he looked back at her while she was looking at the fence trying to figure out what to do, her breath coming heavy. He looked over to Rick, who was looking back at the pig pen before he told him to go and get the truck. Rick asked Ani to help him and together they went to the pig pen, rounding the piglets up in a corner until Daryl returned. Rick jumped up in the bed and Ani handed him piglet after piglet until they were all loaded. It was a damn shame, and she and Daryl had worked their asses off to get that damn pig back to the prison. Now, the piglets that were supposed to grow to feed the occupants were heading to the slaughter to lead the walkers away. Ani watched as the plan worked, listening to the squeals of the pigs as she got to work helping Sasha and Glenn fix the fence. She watched Daryl pull back through the gates after the last piglet had been sacrificed and made her way back up to the courtyard. Merle had assured her that he and the others could manage getting the gate under control and that she and Daryl should get some rest. It was going to be a long night with everyone having to take extra watch shifts with how few people they had and the two of them would probably be needed even more. They silently made their way into the cell block and to their cell, getting as comfortable as they could and trying to relax. Sleep didn't come easy, though, as they started to hear others beginning to cough throughout the prison shortly after night fell.